KUWAIT, Oct 2 (KUNA) -- Teachers in Kuwait looking to build an international dimension into their classroom activities will soon find it easier thanks to the launch of the British Council Connecting Classrooms Online portal in the Middle East , said a statement by the council Saturday.
Head of the program at the Council Rafat Abu-Taleb told KUNA that connecting Classrooms online would provide teachers with a single gateway dedicated to providing teaching resources, advice and networking opportunities to support international school partnerships. A key strength of the portal is the chance it gives teachers to share ideas and link up with other teachers around the world.
At the heart of the Connecting Classrooms Online community is a network of specially trained ambassadors. These ambassadors guide teachers face-to-face on how to make best use of the online resources.
The first ambassadors for the Middle East received this week training on Connecting Classrooms Online at a workshop were held at the Crowne Plaza in Kuwait September 27-28. These eight ambassadors will support teachers in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Kuwait ambassadors were from Al-Yusrah Intermediate School for Girls, Ramlah Um Al-Mumineen Intermediate School for Girls and the British School of Kuwait were selected for their experience of working with information and communication technologies (ICT) in international schools partnerships. They join a growing global network of around 160 Connecting Classrooms Online ambassadors.
Amy Cottage, British Council Regional Programme Manager for Schools in the Middle East, said "International school partnership projects are proving an excellent way for students in the Middle East and the UK to learn first hand more about each other's cultures.
"This latest resource is part of Connecting Classrooms global ambition to develop the skills and cultural understanding of young people so that they can make a positive contribution to our global society. This helps improve trust and understanding between young people in the UK and the Middle East." "Our ambassadors will provide valuable support to teachers in Kuwait on Connecting Classrooms Online - from a teacher's perspective. They will be able to give teachers the skills and confidence to make the most of the online tools. In turn, our ambassadors will be backed by British Council colleagues at our office in Kuwait." There are now more than 66,000 students in 300 Connecting Classrooms schools in the Middle East and the UK exchanging knowledge about their respective cultures through joint curriculum projects. - Kuna